All in the Mind
by Twozulz
Summary: Amy and Rory find after a visit from an odd stranger that they are trapped- trapped in the mind of someone that is. And that very someone happens to be their time-travelling best friend. Can they, along with the alien's other friends and companions, find the Doctor in his never-ending maze before its too late, and a danger far worse is pulled across into the Time Lord's mind?
1. Chapter 1

"Did we really have to come here?" Amy found a voice murmur right next to her on the grass. "It doesn't hold the best memories for us, you know."

The woman turned to face her husband, the cold, brisk air of springtime whisking her ginger hair in her eyes. Faintly, she could hear the sound of waves hit the rocky shore of the harbour, moved by the ships coming in and out. Amy could even feel the strikingly green grass sway beneath her fingers. It was hard to believe she was sitting in such a place of death and endings. But she was, as it turned out. Amy Pond was in that fateful New York City graveyard where she had last said goodbye to her beloved Raggedy Man. Where the Weeping Angels tore her apart from everyone she loved.

The place that would one day hold her and Rory's grave.

But she tried not to think of that as she answered his question. "We can leave if you want, stupid face," the woman affectionately said. Then, the grin she had had on her features from using Rory's nickname fell and she fidgeted around on the ground uncomfortably. "But I just can't shake the feeling that we're meant to be here for some reason." Amy shook her head, realising the idiocy of her statement as she played nervously with a blade of grass.

Her husband looked at her worriedly. "Amy," the man said, in a way that a parent might tell their child of the death of their goldfish. He scooted closer to her, slowly taking her hand in a comforting manner. "The Doctor's not coming back. He can't."

The woman sighed. "I know, Rory. It's just- I can't- I can't help but hope that something impossible could happen. That maybe it could all change." Tears were threatening to spill from her eyes when she suddenly felt a hug wrap around her torso.

"Oh, Amy. I want him back too," Rory softly whispered in her ear from where he was plastered against her chest in the embrace. And as they sat there, just enjoying each other's company and comfort, Amy Pond was just glad that her amazing, impossible Centurion was there with her.

And frankly, nothing else mattered.

Amy didn't remember falling asleep on the grass in the graveyard with Rory by her side, but when the woman woke up, her sleepy eyelids forcing themselves open, she heard a sound so otherworldly, yet so familiar- but she was still so tired that she couldn't recognise the sound.

"VWORP, VWORP. VWORP, VWORP."

Then suddenly, she was awake, all thoughts of sleep pushed out of her mind as she realised what that noise was. Of _who_ it belonged to. The woman could sense Rory moving behind her, asking her what was wrong, but before she knew it her legs were carrying her through the tombstones that were littered through the grass, dodging obstacles until she had finally landed in front of the blue police box that had materialised amidst the graves.

The Doctor's TARDIS. His faithful time machine. The miraculous creation that had taken her and her husband and so many other friends through the past and the future, every adventure leading to yet another dazzling dream.

And it was in front of her, though she never expected to see it again.

Amy's hand touched the handle of the TARDIS' doors, indecisive to say the least. On one hand, she wanted to see that silly alien more than anything, but on the other, she wasn't sure if she was ready to hear the news that had come with him. Besides, if the Doctor was truly excited, wanting to see his former companion as much as she did him, then wouldn't he have pushed his way through the doors to see her by now? And was that-smoke, she smelled?

The woman's suspicions were confirmed when the entryway of the TARDIS suddenly popped open, a smokey gas flooding out of the time machine. Coughing as she stepped back a bit in order not to suffocate, Amy could barely make out the silhouette of a what seemed like a young girl fall out of the doors and onto the grass below.

"Oh my god! Rory!" the woman frantically cried out to her husband. "There's a girl- she just fell out of the TARDIS- and..."

She had barely finished her sentence when the faithful Centurion's nursing skills kicked into action. Bending to the ground in the slowly retreating smoke, he brushed the brown hair of- yes, a girl- back from her neck, putting two fingers on to check for a pulse. "She's definitely alive, as far as I can tell. Maybe a bit asphyxiated from the gas, but still alright.'

Amy came closer to Rory and the mysterious girl. Stooping down next to him, she whispered. "Who do you think she is?" The woman then scanned the area, eyes darting around to look for the bowtied Time Lord. "And where the hell is the Doctor?"

Her husband shook his head in reply, obviously as confused as she was. "I don't know, Amy."

Then, a cough from the body on the ground made the couple's heads fixate immediately on the girl who had fallen out of the TARDIS.

Rory looked his wife in the eyes. "But I think we're about to find out."

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**Well I hope you guys liked this start of this! It's honestly just a little prologue, the rest of the description of the story will make sense later when I finish the next chapter, which should be up very soon. Please remember that reviews inspire me to work faster and better, and favourites and follows do the trick too! I'll also be updating some of my other stories soon, hopefully, if any of you are still following them. Thanks again!**


	2. Chapter 2

Clara wheezed as she breathed in the air around her. Judging by the grass underneath and her current position, she was not in the TARDIS anymore, and probably not in a very flattering stance either. As quickly as her still-sore legs would let her, the girl stood up to take in her surroundings.

She was in a graveyard, apparently, judging by the tombstones around her. In the distance she could make out the sounds of waves lapping on a rocky shore and of boats' horns- so she'd landed near a harbour. The girl looked to the left to confirm this hypothesis when she saw two people off to the side. And her mouth almost dropped open.

It was _them_.

Now, Clara had never actually seen them before- definitely not in person or even in photographs. But even in her brief time of travels with the Doctor, she had heard of his former companions. His magnificent, glorious Ponds.

The girl walked up to the couple in a daze, dizzy with excitement. After so long, she was finally seeing the very people she needed. As Clara stepped even closer, the ginger hair of the young woman and the rather large nose of the man further confirmed that these were indeed the people she had been searching for. "I found you," the girl muttered, coming to a stop in front of the pair. "Amy and Rory Pond, right?" She almost had to biter her tongue to prevent herself from letting out a shout of joy. Finally, it'd worked!

Though Clara thought she heard an annoyed whisper of 'Williams' come from the man, it was the ginger woman- Amy- who answered her. "Yeah, that'd be us. Who are you? And what do you mean you 'found' us?" the Pond folded her arms and scowled.

But Clara ignored this gesture of enmity and waved her hand, extending her arm out to shake the couple's hands. When it became clear this wasn't going to happen, the girl shrugged and decided to introduce herself, the very thing she wasn't quite sure she was ready to do. "I'm Clara Oswald. I am- well, I guess, I was-" she gulped as she saw Amy's scowl deepen. "Travelling with the Doctor."

"And what about the Doctor?" the ginger woman's words became ever more harsh. "What did you do with him, Clara Oswald?"

"Nothing!" the girl protested, suddenly becoming afraid of Amy's advances. "Nothing at all!"

"Then where is he?" the man- Rory, joined in. "Why haven't we seen him?"

Clara sighed, her gaze turning towards the ground. "The truth is, I don't know. He's missing. That's why I've been trying to find the TARDIS, searching for some of his other companions-" she looked back up at the Ponds, pointing her finger at them. "Because I need people's help. We have to get out of here- we have to get him out of here- before it's too late."

"You're not making any sense," Amy stated, clearly bewildered. "Now just tell us where the Doctor is."

"He's trapped!" the girl yelled, not understanding the unwillingness of the couple to comprehend what was going on. "The Doctor's trapped, just like you, and who knows how many others!"

"Look, sweetie. We're not trapped anywhere except for New York City, in 1937, in a graveyard," the ginger woman seethed, frustrated with this so-called Clara, the Doctor's apparent new companion. She just wanted to see her Raggedy Man, not this raving lunatic.

"But that's just it!" Clara began, trying with all her might to get the pair to understand. "How did you get to this graveyard, Amy?"

"What do you mean? We took a cab from our flat, like we always do." the woman replied.

"No, think. Really, think," the young girl murmured. She couldn't be sure this would work, but something just felt right about where she was going. "Remember every detail as you took that cab, from when you stepped out of that flat and came here. What happened?"

Clara saw Amy reluctantly close her eyes, trying to recall the events of the day. "Rory was being slow as he misplaced his trenchcoat, but we finally closed the door behind us and took the lift downstairs to Fifth Avenue, where we walked down to some cabs waiting near the sidewalk." The woman paused, glaring back up at the girl. "I still don't see how this is helping anything."

"Just keep remembering," Clara urged her on, hoping to waste as little time as possible.

After a huff, Amy continued on. "Then we hailed one, climbed in, went a couple of metres to some lights..." Then suddenly, the woman turned pale.

"What?" the current companion questioned eagerly.

"There was a bright light," Amy stammered, looking to meet Clara's eyes. "And we found ourselves in this graveyard. You're right," she murmured, shocked. "This isn't the Big Apple really, is it? And I don't think it's 1937 either." She shook her head. "I can't believe it."

"Amy's right, about the cab thing," Rory spoke up, seeming just as awestruck as his wife but vaguely coming more to terms with things. "It's hazy, but the memory's still there. But if we're not in New York, then where are we?" he asked.

Clara looked at the Ponds. "I think you might want to come into the TARDIS to hear this."

* * *

**So there you have it, the second chapter! I already have the third down, so I just need to type that up, and the fourth is being written down too. Thank you so much for the follows and reviews on this already and I hope I don't disappoint! Oh, and by the way, this Clara is Clara Oswin Oswald from the new series. Who's ready for the Doctor Who premiere? Just twelve days now! And with Sherlock and the Fiftieth Anniversary being filmed now too, I'm just about the happiest girl in the world. Again, thanks for reading, be sure to leave reviews with your opinions so I can be furthermore inspired to write!**


	3. Chapter 3

The first thing Amy noticed as she set foot into the time machine was its change in interior. It was a bit of a far cry from the orange, yellow, bouncy console of its predecessor, but even in the darker shades the woman felt at home.

"We were on Malessa 6," Clara began to explain, speaking from the captain's char. "And we had just finished some sightseeing after almost getting clobbered by the locals for apparently almost killing the king for the TARDIS materialising on him." She chuckled at the memory but slowly frowned. "It was really then that the Doctor started acting strange, sort of rambling deliriously at times and feeling more dizzy and tired than he usually did- but I didn't think much of it."

"Then one day he just didn't appear. I waited for him in the console room for what seemed like hours. When he didn't show up even after that, I looked for him everywhere. And I finally found him in a bedroom." Clara closed her eyes and shook her head, obviously not wanting to recall what happened but continuing anyway.

"The Doctor looked so sick. He was pale, and he said he was cold, yet he was shaking like he had a fever. Was sweating too. And he was rambling again- or, well, what I thought was rambling." The girl eyed Amy and Rory, who were leaning against the TARDIS console in front of her, their eyebrows furrowed in concern for their friend. She breathed deeply and went on with the story.

"He started saying something about himself being a touch telepathic-"

Amy nodded at this statement. "Yeah, he told me that once. That Time Lords have telepathic abilities when they come into physical contact with others."

"Right," Clara agreed. "And I mean, I thought that was a bit strange. But then he started talking about someone called the Dream Lord. That's when he mentioned you two-" She pointed at the Ponds. "Said it was like an evil manifestation of himself or something."

"On one of my first trips with the Doctor," Rory began, answering the girl. "Amy and I got caught in two realities, dreams, if you will, that the the Dream Lord- who was basically some psychic pollen feeding off his thoughts- made." The man frowned. "Are you saying that's happened again?"

"Yes!" the girl exclaimed, happy that things were becoming clearer now. "He said something about pollen, but I just thought he was going crazy. That must've been what he meant."

"Did the Doctor say anything else?" Amy questioned, worried. "Was there anything of importance he said after that?"

The girl glanced at the ginger, uncomfortable because of what she had to say next. "Yes," Clara muttered softly. "The Doctor- he said I had to run. I had to run as far away as I could, because no one could escape him in his dreams. And he said I had to help him find his way back. Before it was too late. Then his eyes rolled back into his head, and there was a bright light, and I was in the console room."

"But there was no Doctor. I had the TARDIS run a scan for other lifeforms- and it only picked up me. So I tried to find help and have been hopping around ever since." The girl finished her story, looking up at Amy and Rory for feedback.

"So you're saying that we're trapped in the Doctor's dream," the ginger murmured, gazing in Clara's direction.

"His consciousness, at least," the girl nodded. "We're certainly not in the regular universe. The TARDIS' time streams are too irregular. Plus, when I was searching for help, I kept coming back to places- a beach, some kind of underground base, a road- Bannerman, I think. That couldn't be just a coincidence." Clara shrugged. "I don't know why those places could be important, but still."

"The Big Bang Two," Rory whispered, pushing his back off the console and twiddling his thumbs. He glanced at his wife. "I don't expect you to remember this, since you were dead, Amy, but when the Doctor was sealed in the Pandorica, when the universe ceased to exist and he was erased out of history, it was partly because the Doctor had been written out of time and wasn't there to save everyone from the TARDIS exploding. The universe never existed just because he wasn't there to save it." The man gulped. 'And if he isn't in the real universe right now, how long do we have until that happens again? We need to find him, and fast." The Centurion continued. "But I don't think we can do it just the three of us."

"That's easy," Amy replied to her husband. "If the Doctor was able to pull us into his dream, causing a potential paradox, then surely he pulled in some other former companions too. And he has loads of those. I once tricked him into voice-activating the TARDIS to show the other people he travelled with." She smiled smugly and said.

"Exactly!" Clara bounced up from the captain's chair. They were getting somewhere! "Do you remember any of their names, perhaps? I could try entering them in the TARDIS coordinates and see what happens," the girl directed to the Ponds.

"Yeah, there was one I sort of recollect-" the ginger woman began, searching through her thoughts. "A Tyler- Rose! Rose Tyler!" Amy beamed.

Clara typed in the name and laughed as the group was thrown off balance as the time machine began the dematerialisation sequence. "One Rose Tyler, coming right up!"

Because they were going to find the Doctor. No matter what lengths it would take.

* * *

**Yay! The third chapter! I'm surprised at how fast I seem to be putting these out, though I definitely contribute your favourites, follows, and reviews to helping me! Thank you so very much for those, they really brighten my day and inspire me to work. So keep them coming!**

**As you can see, this part of the story was mostly just to explain the circumstances that have led up to this point in order for you to have a more clear understanding of what's going on- so I hope that wasn't too boring. I also hope I got the facts right for The Big Bang/Pandorica Opens and Amy's Choice references I made, and I apologise if that didn't work out. I haven't watched Series Five in forever and I really should soon. (PS: Amy really did trick the Doctor into voice-activating the TARDIS to show his former companions. It's in a boxset extra called "Meanwhile in the TARDIS Part Two". It's pretty great if I do say so myself and you should go check it out).**

**And now we're off to see some of the other companions, Rose, namely. After some thought I've decided to include Mickey, Martha, Jack, and Donna along with Amy, Rory, Clara, and Rose in this. Sarah Jane will also appear here- though I know Elisabeth Sladen is dead (sobs), I still really want to write her character. So you have all that to look forward to! Plus, fans of the Classic seasons and some of the Doctor Who novels and stories will see some of those characters come into play here... so stay tuned!**

**Again, thanks for your support, and remember that reviews and the like will encourage me to come up with bigger and better things. Love you all.**


	4. Chapter 4

It had started off as a normal day. Well, at least as normal as Rose Tyler's days could be, living in an alternate reality with the clone of a time-travelling alien who was now her spouse.

She had headed off to work early that morning on the Tube with John. Her and her new husband had revitalized a broken Torchwood, after the Canary Wharf incident, and had worked for the organisation ever since.

Sure, the circumstances of her new life in what had been jokingly dubbed by her family as "Pete's World" were unbelievably wacky, Rose couldn't feel anything but happy. She had a lovely husband, family and friends around her, a paying job that she actually enjoyed, and if everything worked out with John, a baby coming on the way.

How could she have known everything was about to change?

* * *

"How're those papers going?" Rose heard a voice from behind her say. Turning to face the form of this person, she had to bite her lip to prevent herself from laughing at the tall brown ruffly-haired man in red Converse speaking to her, his mouth pulled into a smirky smile.

"Not nearly as fun as being with you," she retorted to her husband, John. The woman sighed-filling in reports on the status of the organisation every month was definitely not one of her favourite parts at working for Torchwood, and she was sure her boredom was noticed by John. "But it must be done," she added back into her response to him.

"Oh, Dame Rose Tyler of the Powell Estate, how valiant are you in the face of imminent danger! Your response to this daunting task will result in a reward more precious than gold," the man continued to tease, handing her a cup of tea.

Grinning, Rose took the cup and sipped. Her favourite green tea. "Thank you, oh most noble Doctor John Smith," she chuckled back, taking sips of the hot liquid.

"No problem, my dear," her husband responded as he turned away to leave Rose in peace. "You really are needed in the Lab Room asap though, maintenance checks are due in order!" John shouted over his shoulder.

* * *

The click-clack of keyboards and rustling of paper had been fully ingrained in the blonde woman's mind when she finally finished the records. Hurrying up as quickly as she could to the upper levels of the building, Rose just hoped she wasn't too late.

After much wheezing, she found herself in what the staff of Torchwood had dubbed "the Lab Room", seeing as that was where many of the experimental procedures were conducted in the facility. Funnily enough, there seemed to be no sign of anyone at the moment- only the boiling of test tubes and whir of machines kept Rose company. The woman shrugged, sitting down in a chair to wait for the rest of the crew. Maybe she was actually earlier than she thought she was.

The Lab Room was no ordinary lab room though. Not for Rose, anyway. Because this place, albeit in a different universe, was where the Cybermen appeared, following the Daleks through the Void. It was here that she had been ripped from her universe, from everything she had known and loved.

Where she'd been separated from the Doctor.

Almost against her will, the woman slowly walked towards the white, the utterly stark medical white of the wall at the end of the room, her hand reaching out to touch the very place where she had screamed and sobbed for him to come back to her. When she was so desperately alone.

Then suddenly, the whole place seemed to shift under Rose's feet. Yelping, she fell to the ground as everything turned red hot around her. Burning, the woman gasped in pain as strange images filled her mind- the stomping and swishing the ground of boots and robes, a cavernous pit, the swirling sands of a Norwegian beach choking her to death. She could hear faintly the almost inaudible sound of John screaming her name, other Torchwood scientists around him. But Rose could only feel the burning and fire as a white light overtook her and she collapsed to the floor.

* * *

**Yay for another chapter! It was kind of a filler I'll be honest, but I hope you enjoyed meeting Rose, and we'll see more of her next chapter when she meets some other of the Doctor's companions. **

**Thank you so much for the reviews, favourites, and follows. I don't think I've ever seen so many notifications of them flood into my inbox in such a short amount of time as this! So thank you, thank you, and thank you, it is totally inspiring me to write! The more you continue doing this, the faster I'll probably write, so keep everything coming! Hopefully the next chapter will be up soon.**


	5. Chapter 5

The first thing Rose came to terms with when she regained consciousness was the sand. It was everywhere- in her clothes, in her hair, in her mouth, still threatening to choke her. Coughing, the woman stood, seeing that she had landed on a seashore. Oh, and the fact that there was a young ginger woman staring at her across the way.

"Are you alright?" the ginger questioned in a heavy Scottish accent. "Seems like you made a real entrance there." She extended her hand. "I'm Amy Pond. And you are?"

"Rose Tyler," the blonde responded, taking the hand. She looked around, trying to take in the surroundings. The woman had a faint sense of where she was, but she had to make sure. "Um, you wouldn't possibly happen to know where we are, would you?" Rose asked.

"Oh, allow me to answer that," the blonde heard a new voice utter. She suddenly saw a short brown-haired girl appear from Amy's side. "Clara Oswald, at your service," she announced, shaking Rose's hand. "We're on a beach, somewhere, Norway I'd say, called Darlig Ulv Stranden."

"Or Bad Wolf Bay," another noise piped up behind Amy, and Rose was greeted to the sight of a young male with sandy hair and freckles. "I'm Rory, by the way," the man said, waving a little.

"Hi, Rory." Rose replied, returning the wave. She gazed at the motley trio, still confused as to how she'd gotten here from the Torchwood lab room- because in all honesty, she shouldn't even be here. She _couldn't_ be here.

Rose Tyler smelled a trap.

Cutting the small talk, the blonde immediately resulted to interrogating. "Why are you here?" the woman demanded, beginning to scowl. "What are you planning?"

"Believe me, we're not planning to harm you in any way," the Clara one responded, fidgety. "We travel- or have travelled- with a man, and we're just trying to find his other companions."

Rose gaped, the words traveller and companion only meant one thing to her. "The Doctor?" she stammered, bewildered. "You're friends of the Doctor?"

"Yes," this time Amy answered. "And we need your help finding him, Rose."

"What do you mean, finding?" the blonde questioned worriedly.

"The Doctor's trapped," Clara began solemnly. "Trapped in his own subconscious. He's been pulling various other companions into his mind, like you," she said.

Rose looked at the girl, disbelief rising to the surface. "You're kidding me. That's not possible!" She had to be in a trap, or a nightmare. This couldn't be going on. The woman choked back tears- she just wanted to be back home with John and her mum and her dad. How could Rose even believe these people? After all, she had just met them, for god's sake! "You're lying," the blond said again, as much to the strangers as to herself. "Why should I trust you?"

And it was in that moment that she felt a body near hers, holding out a hand for use. Startled, Rose gradually reached for it, her eyes only making out a familiar blue trenchcoat, a smell of cologne that reminded her strangely of a dance on a blimp in the Blitz. Then there was a playful bump on the arm, and an American accent filled the sea air. "Rosie, don't worry," the infamous captain said. "These people are our friends. You can trust me, right?"

Rose glanced up, a smile erupting on her face. "Jack? Is that you? Oh my god!" The woman studied him, searching for evidence that this was in fact Captain Jack Harkness. And indeed it was, the same cheeky smile and glistening eyes here now that she had admired about him from when they first met. "But how... how are you- how can you be here?" the blonde sputtered.

"It's like they said," Jack pointed over at where Amy, Rory, and Clara were standing over the way. "The Doctor's in some sort of coma, but he's pushing his companions into it, like you, and me, and-"

"And us," yet another familiar voice said from near the woman on the sand. Rose suddenly came to view with the very own Mickey and Martha Smith. "Almost thought you'd forgot about us, Captain Cheesecake." Mickey continued, grinning.

"We couldn't forget you and your big ears, Mickey Mouse," Jack snickered, shoving the man's arm playfully. "Or your gorgeous wife," he added, winking at Martha.

"Oi, Jack, stop it. I'm actually a married woman now," the human doctor chuckled.

Rose still stood off to the side, awestruck. "It's really you two?" she breathed. "Really, properly, you?"

"Really properly," Mickey laughed, as he walked over to Rose finally and hugged her. Soon, Martha was to follow, the two women embracing.

After all the hugs, the blonde glanced over at Amy. "So is there anyone else here? Donna, or Sarah Jane, or-"

The ginger shook her head. "Not yet at least. And that's why I said we needed your help Rose. You know them better than we do. You can help us find them." There was a slight pause before she continued. "And the Doctor."

And in that moment Rose remembered why everything had seemed off in the first place. The Doctor was missing. Trapped inside his own mind. The woman shuddered. How horrible that must be, to be in your own worst nightmare. She couldn't leave any soul like that to suffer. Least definitely the Doctor.

"I'll help," Rose stated, addressing everyone. "I mean, the Doctor has to be somewhere in this dream, right? So wherever you all were picked up," the blonde gestured to the gathered company, "He has to be there, somewhere. Or there have to be other places too, where we can find people. Other friends of the Doctor."

"Right. That's what we all were thinking," the girl named Clara remarked, nodding her head. Then, smiling, she looked around. "So let's get started, shall we?"

And as Rose climbed into the TARDIS (which she finally noticed!) behind the numerous other companions, amidst her overwhelming sense of happiness on touching that beautiful blue paneled wood, the woman furrowed her eyebrows as she thought she heard something foreboding on the wind.

_"They are coming."_

But it was probably just her imagination.

* * *

**I'm so, so sorry that it took so long to update! I've been kind of sick the past few weeks though, so there was that in the way, plus the usual school and other work. Again, I apologise, but hope you enjoyed this chapter! It's nice to see at least some of the companions reunited, isn't it?**

**In, the next chapter, we'll finally get to meet someone we've been hearing about all story long- the Doctor himself! So stay tuned for that coming soon!**

**How's everybody liking the new series of Doctor Who? I personally think it's been going brilliantly! This Saturday's episode made me cry far more than I expected it to, honestly. AND BILLIE PIPER AND DAVID TENNANT ARE COMING BACK FOR THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY. I mean, how cool is that?!**

**Again, thanks to everyone who has reviewed, favourited, and followed this story, you all have been so wonderful. Keep everything coming, as I really want to hear all of your opinions! Thanks again, love you all. **


	6. Chapter 6

**WARNING- for most of the below, the only way I can describe it is whump. So please, if you don't like that, stop reading.**

* * *

Dark. Cold. Empty.

Pain.

That was what the last Time Lord felt when he readjusted back to reality.

Or was this reality? He had a hard time telling nowadays.

Time.

Time. The man knew time- he was a lord of it of course. He knew every second of every year of every period of every universe. But now, he had lost track of time. How long had he been asleep? In fact, who had he even been before his slumber?

Doctor.

The Doctor.

The name came back to him. The Doctor. The man who fixed people. Well he sure wasn't helping himself now, was he?

And soon everything else came back too. The TARDIS, the pollen, Clara- Clara. Clara! Was she alright? Was she safe? Where was she, in fact?

In fact, where was he?

The Time Lord couldn't see, that was for sure. Everything around him was pure blackness. He felt instinctively for his sonic screwdriver in his pocket. Except for he didn't have the sonic.

Or pockets. He was naked.

Whuh oh.

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, the Doctor realised that maybe, he wasn't even in a room at all. The black of the space seemed to go on forever, like it was a plane of being all on its own.

And it felt familiar. Somehow, he had been here before.

But where was he?

"Oh, finally. The little lost alien wakes up from his nappy-nap."

The man turned around quickly and glanced in the direction towards the voice that had so suddenly appeared. Just barely, he could make out a figure in the shadows, but he squinted into the darkness in order to see this mysterious movement closer.

What he saw was nothing he had been prepared for.

Because, standing in front of him was… himself.

If the Doctor had been usually standing in front of a mirror, he would have said what was standing before him was almost a reflection. But though every detail on this faux Doctor was impeccable- down to the bowtie he wore- it was not him. So who could it-

"Ah, now don't go asking stupid questions like that," the fake Doctor clicked his tongue disappointedly. "Honestly, I thought you would have been a teensy-weensy bit smarter? No?" the Time Lord copy smirked at the Doctor's confused expression. "Well, I guess I'll have to explain then. I think if I introduced myself by name you'd know me better." He smiled as if basking in glory. "I'm the Dream Lord!"

The real alien's mouth turned into a frown. This was not what that manifestation had looked like before. He didn't even have a real, physical body. So why did he come to be this way now?

"Oh, so now you want to know about why I've changed. I was honestly hoping you'd like my new exterior decorating, as you walk around in it every day." The Dream Lord was coming closer to him now, as a teacher might approach her students for story time. The faux smiled again.

"It's a pretty good suit, I must say though. Maybe a bit of reworking on that chin, however…" He seemed to go on a long train of thought before settling back to stare into the Time Lord's eyes. "The truth is, Doctor," the name spat off his tongue like someone spitting a piece of nasty food out. "I've gotten stronger. Oh yes, so much stronger." The evil man's eyes gleamed. "I've even been able to learn some new tricks."

The Dream Lord flexed his hand upward, and before the Doctor could register what had happened, a fiery fierce pain shot through his abdomen. Groaning in hurt, the Time Lord looked questioningly at his attacker's gloating face, astonished, as the man came ever closer to him.

"Oh my Doctor," the faux went on to stare directly into the eyes of the alien who now stayed sprawled on the floor in pain. "My lonely, lost child. How dark you have become since the last time I saw you. How much pain, how much loss. How much disappointment. Never-ending. Never stopping. But slowly, slowly continuing on." Despite these empathetic tones, the Doctor stiffened in what was almost fear as his copy's eyes seemed to fill with rage as he stared again at the Time Lord. "But it's your entire fault of course," the steely voice of what now the Doctor believed to be his captor spoke. "You always let them down. They leave, they die. And all because you can't quit, can you?" The evil man's voice was furious now, pounding the alien's eardrums like a pulsating drumbeat.

To his dismay, the Doctor watched as the Dream Lord flexed his wrist again, a whole other flood of heat flaming through his veins. The Time Lord cried out in pain, unable to hold it in any longer, but he shouldn't have, as this seemed to spur his attacker on even more.

The Dream Lord's face was almost level to the floor where the Doctor was. "Cause you are so vain," the man whispered. "That you take those people, those companions- and you make them into companions, oh yes. But you make others into companions to death."

"You almost learned," the faux went on again, intense as ever. "You retired, almost. Almost finally realised the universe hadn't, hasn't, and never will, care. But you had to get excited! You paid though. Oh yes." The manic gleam was there again. Another flex of the hand. Another painful shock of pain through the Doctor's body. The Dream Lord continued on his speech again. "You lost Clara Oswin Oswald. Not once, but twice." And yet another smirk appeared on the Time Lord's attacker's face again as he whispered into the Doctor's ear. "And who's to say she won't die again?"

The alien winced and shut his eyes as it seemed the Dream Lord was coming in for yet another attack. However, to his amazement, the faux captor stopped in his tracks mid-hand flex. The captor then turned an ear away from his captive, seemingly listening for something in the air of the void around him. Straining to hear too even amidst his soreness, the Doctor tried to search for the noise that had the Dream Lord so very interested. Finally, a soft, continual thud began to echo in his mind, almost like-

"Footsteps," his captor breathed, both giddy and nervous at the same time. Looking above as he stood up from the Doctor's almost lifeless form, the Dream Lord grinned. "They are coming."

"Who?" the Time Lord managed to sputter out. No matter how terrible he felt, he had to get to the bottom of this. Who knew how many lives were at stake?

The faux looked back at the Doctor, his grin yet becoming ever wider. "Why, Doctor," he began, again scooting over to where the alien lay on the ground. "Your greatest friends, of course. Or are they your greatest enemy?" He laughed at his own words. "But for right now, let's not worry about that, shall we? In fact, I think you should take a nap. It is way past your bedtime. Ta-ta!" And with that, the Dream Lord fizzled and faded to nothing, and the Time Lord's vision turned stark black.

* * *

**So sorry it's been such a long time since I updated. I've been very busy with school and the like, but now that it's all over hopefully I'll have more time to write. Enjoy this chapter, next time we'll get to meet more of the assembled TARDIS crew. Please remember to favourite, review, and follow as it helps motivate me to work for you! Have a great day. **


	7. Chapter 7

Donna Noble was not looking forward to having to carry her groceries out in the pouring rain.

This wouldn't have even happened if her husband, Shaun, wasn't such a dimwit and insisted on working late nights to earn extra income, she thought to herself. They could have went out, like a normal couple, or at the least they could have gone to the store together so they wouldn't have to eat that cheap frozen pizza in the fridge. So she wouldn't have to be alone.

Donna hated being alone.

But beggars can't be choosers, she reasoned, and with that thought she sighed, popped open her umbrella, and picked up the grocery bags to go out into the storm that slowly began to look worse and worse. It almost seemed as if the clouds themselves were crying.

Donna was about two streets away from the bus ride home when she noticed the woman.

The woman looked fairly normal. She was black, probably in her late twenties. Her hair, pulled back into a bun, and her clothes, made her look like some sort of professional, but at what, Donna didn't know.

She had never seen this woman before in her life.

So why did she look so weirdly familiar?

But even though the nagging sense of déjà vu scared her, the real thing that was bothering Donna Noble was the fact that this woman seemed to be following her.

It happened on every corner as Donna hastened to catch her ride. The woman was always behind her, in the shadows at the corner of her eye.

The last thing she needed in this downpour was a bloody stalker.

Later, she ended up on the corner of Smithington, when, as she looked around the area to make sure the mysterious woman wasn't there, she lost her footing over a particular large crack on the walkway and fell down. Sopping wet vegetables and bread lay scattered around her. Was it possible for such an already horrid day to go from bad to worse?

"Would you like a hand with that?" Donna heard a voice ask.

Turning around, she saw that it was the strange black woman from earlier who'd been following her around. Though every muscle of her body screamed at her not to, Donna nodded. "Thanks," she added. Great, now she was helping out a potential stalker. How daft could she be?

But it was in looking up into the woman's kind face that the real terror began.

Because Donna suddenly couldn't breathe.

Her mind rushed as somehow, just with this woman's face, a million ideas came to surface in her brain. Soldiers in red boots, poison gas, potato head people, a blonde girl, an endless cavern of caves… aliens?

A time machine…

She travelled the universe with a man called the Doctor.

"Oh my god," Donna cried, clutching at her head like she could remove it. "Oh my god, help me!"

"Donna, stay calm. What's the matter? Tell me, is something wrong?" the woman replied in shock, having immediately dropped the groceries she was helping pick up. She rushed over to the groaning woman in obvious concern, checking her with all the skills of a doctor.

If it had been any other time Donna would have interrogated this woman on how she could have possibly known her name, but there seemed to be no reason for that now. The only thing Donna could concentrate on was the burning, painful burning, inside her head. "I'm dying," she whispered to the woman, weak, as everything slowly seemed to slip from her consciousness…

"No, Donna, Donna, stay with me!" the woman's voice became increasingly more agitated. "Jack! Amy Rory! Rose! Anyone! Please help!"

And with those pleas, Donna passed out, the ground finally slipping from underneath her.

* * *

When Donna woke up again, she was immediately blinded by a sheer whiteness that only came from a medical institution. She desperately tried to find something around her familiar and welcoming, but her vision was still hazy. "Where… where am I?" she asked to the white around her.

"You're safe, Donna." she heard a comforting voice say from somewhere above her. "You're just in the TARDIS medbay."

The TARDIS… somehow Donna knew that that was a safe place. More than safe, in fact- the safest place in the universe. Cause that's where _he_ was.

And suddenly a flurry of memories came to her mind. Of a tall, ruffly brown haired spaceman taking her throughout the universe, of friends flying the impossible time machine, laughing… a feeling of dizzy happiness enveloped her as she could_ remember_!

The woman sat up to look even closer at the room around her.

Standing above Donna, monitoring the flood of fluids running into her arm through an IV, was the same black woman who had helped her with her fallen groceries. Joyously, the ginger woman whispered her name. "Martha?"

The female doctor immediately looked her way and sighed in relief. "Oh Donna. You feeling better now? What even happened?" She gestured around the room. "We were all so worried about you."

"It was the Doctor," the woman began, chuckling slightly. "Once I became the metacrisis, my human brain couldn't handle all the information of a Time Lord, so he erased my memories to protect me. And yet… somehow I remember now, and I'm fine." She furrowed her brow. "But how…" Then, whipping her gaze around to Martha again, she sputtered. "Wait! Did you say _we_?"

Sitting up for the first time, Donna saw the people around her hospital bed. Their names too, much as Martha's had, came back to her, as it seemed they hadn't for a very long while. Mickey. Rose. A World War Two era-esque blue trench coat draped over the side of a chair near her bed that could only belong to Captain Jack Harkness. There were some people however, that she didn't recognise- a young also ginger haired woman, a big-nosed sandy haired man that seemed to be working alongside Martha as a nurse, and a petite brown haired girl. But even though she wasn't quite sure where she was, or why she was here, Donna Noble felt at home with these people.

There was just one person missing.

"Oi, where's spaceman?" she asked. "You'd think he'd be here, what with the party going on."

To her surprise, everyone stayed quiet at her comment. "What?" Donna inquired in her usual loud way, mock frowning. "I was just asking where the Doctor was. I know I'm not a comedic genius, but I didn't think I was _that_ bad." Still seeing downward looks from the group, she softened her tone. "Really though, is he okay?" Donna questioned.

Martha sighed and stepped toward the chair Jack's coat was draped on, ignoring her IV duties for a minute. Sitting down, she looked the ginger in the eyes, the doctor's own, Donna saw worriedly, starting to fill with tears. "Donna," she explained, "The Doctor isn't here." Regaining her composure, Martha continued on. "He's pulled as all," she gestured around to the people standing vigil in the room. "Into his conscience. Somewhere here, the Doctor, in his mind, is trapped."

The loud woman wanted to say something witty, or encouraging- but all Donna could muster was a weak "Oh." She cleared her throat. "Well, at least that explains the reason I can remember- if this isn't really reality, then I guess I'm able to be here without burning up in front of everyone. And that's good at least, isn't it?"

There were a few nods of head, but still, entire medbay was an uneasy silent for a moment- until the petite brunette Donna had noticed earlier broke the tension. "Jack's probably going to be waiting for us soon in the console room," she stated. "So we best be heading down there I think." Mumbling in agreement, the group slowly left, leaving Donna and Martha alone.

The doctor turned to her patient. "You look all right to me, so I'll take your IV out and we'll head downstairs with the others." she started, heading out the door. Then, stopping, Martha turned back around. "Maybe it will help take our minds off of things."

Donna couldn't agree more.

* * *

**I'm so sorry for the long hiatus, but I had a whole month filled of going to camps and a trip to Canada, so I didn't really have a lot of access to my computer, and therefore, couldn't update. But now, here's the next chapter! Things are about to be getting thicker and thicker, so stay tuned! I hope I can still keep putting these chapters out quickly, I know you guys have been waiting a while. Please be sure to review (PLEASE), favourite, and follow, all of those things help me keep writing, help me know what I'm doing well and what I'm not and generally, just make me happy. Thanks so much for reading everyone!**


	8. Chapter 8

"So, what do you think Ms Smith?" Jack asked to his company, pushing through the doors of the time machine.

"It's beautiful," the woman breathed to the man's question. Sarah Jane Smith continued to look around, awed. It had seemed crazy when Jack Harkness, of Torchwood itself, had approached her and told her all of what was going on- even crazier when the Captain asked the journalist to trust him and step into the TARDIS. But now the woman was glad she did, closing her eyes as she felt the console and the familiar homey smell. No matter how many times it changed, the console room always felt full of love, especially with all the people in it now, coming so say hellos and introductions.

"Oh, it's so nice to see you all," Sarah Jane cried after a round of hugs. Looking around at everyone, she couldn't help but beam at what the journalist had come to consider her "extended family." Jack. Rose. Mickey and Martha. Donna. Amy and Rory. Clara. Such different people, all the travellers and companions of such an extraordinary friend.

And suddenly, Sarah Jane Smith's heart did a backflip in her chest as she realised what was missing. Her Doctor. Somehow this reunion didn't feel the same without him. "I wish he was here though," the woman whispered.

Sarah Jane's words seemed to resound with everybody and the room became eerily quiet and soundless. Finally, Jack's voice resounded through the area. "So, anybody ready for a meeting?"

* * *

The TARDIS crew sat in a circle around a table in one of the many kitchens on-board, ready to talk logistics, sipping and nibbling on various food and drink. Clara had recounted her experience with the Doctor that had led to the predicament in the first place, also recalling the adventures of finding everyone assembled in the mindscape they were caught in.

"So you're saying the Doctor's regenerated?" Rose asked, confused about the mentioning of bowties and tweed. It didn't sound like something her Doctor would wear.

Amy laughed. "Yeah, into a humanoid clumsy giraffe." She explained further. "He has a really messy mop of brown hair- tall and gangly. And don't even get me started on the tweed and bowtie." The young ginger woman turned to Clara. "Or is he wearing something different now?"

The brunette shook her head in response. "He doesn't wear tweed as far as I've seen. He sort of just has a big purplish overcoat. The bowtie's still there however!"

The group laughed, envisioning the silly attire of their alien friend for a while, before delving back into business.

"If we want to get out of here," Jack began, licking his lips. "We're going to have to find the Doctor. He's the only person who can help us. It's his brain, after all."

"But how?" Mickey responded. "Where is he? We've looked long and hard in every place we've been, and there's been no sight of him. And the TARDIS doesn't seem able to take us anywhere else."

"We'll just have to keep looking even more, I guess. It's just important that we don't lose hope." Sarah Jane stated.

The comment was met with nods of agreement, Jack coming to laugh in the midst of it all. "I feel like I'm in that Inception movie."

Yet again, the companions chuckled for a few minutes and went back to work.

But something about Jack's statement couldn't get out of Donna's head. If the Doctor hadn't been found in the places where they'd all been picked up, then he had to be somewhere else. But the question was, the question everyone had been asking for so long, where exactly was the Time Lord? Where was their mad man in a box?

And weirdly, Donna felt a sort of… whisper in the back of her brain, as if someone wanted to help but couldn't speak the idea out loud. A compassionate, yet mourning voice, like a dog missing its master. A car yearning for its driver.

A time machine wanting its Doctor.

"Levels," the TARDIS spoke to the ginger woman. "Levels are what you are looking for." Then, as quickly and strangely as the voice had appeared, it was gone, leaving a confused Donna Noble in its place.

And then the realisation of everything hit her like a wave.

Levels?

Levels!

"Levels," Donna whispered, amazed at what she had just potentially discovered.

"What, Donna?" Martha prodded next to her. "What did you say?"

"You're right, Mickey. We've looked everywhere we can here. Cause this is just one level of the Doctor's mind." The ginger lit up, growing more excited by the minute as things began to make sense. "But there has to be others- and somehow through something, we can get to the next one- until we reach wherever Spaceman is."

The room filled with excited whispers as it was deemed Donna's theory was logical.

"Even if there are levels, like Donna said, and we find the Doctor, how can we get back to reality? I mean, what kind of state will he be in?" Rose found herself asking worriedly.

"And how will we be able to make it through to the next level? Where can we find a portal to it?" Rory said, concerned.

"I think the TARDIS wants to help as much as we do," Clara began, speaking to Rory. "Of all of us here, I think it- she- knows more than any of us what's going on with the Doctor. It helped me find all of you, and I believe one hundred percent that if there really are levels and he is really on one of them, we'll be able to get there." the girl finished confidently.

"And I don't know what the Doctor's going through right now," Jack piped up again, turning to Rose specifically. "But a mind that can handle numerous people at once and still stay intact is very strong one- and yet, the most breakable." The man sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "And well, I can't imagine psychic trauma is the best." Whispering, the Captain voiced everyone's concern. "I just hope he's alright."

Smiling softly, the blonde girl the Captain had been addressing took his hand. "He will be. He's the Doctor. He's been in situations worse than this before. He can manage himself."

"The King of Okay," Amy echoed, nodding.

"The King of Okay," Rose answered back. "And we're going to rescue him." She turned to crowd. "So let's go find ourselves a Time Lord."

Without further ado, the TARDIS crew ran out towards the console room- still willing to do anything to save their friend.

They had no idea what they were getting themselves into.

* * *

**Alright, so there we have it. Is Donna's theory correct? Can they find the Doctor? What are they really getting themselves into? Maybe you'll find out next chapter... **

**Thanks again to everyone who reviews and favourites and follows, and well, just read this crap thing. I love you all. Here's hoping the next chapter will be up lickedy-split!**


	9. Chapter 9

Everything had failed.

Everyone knew it too, though the old man surveying the brown wood table of which some of the most brilliant and powerful minds of his planet had gathered didn't care to admit it. But he could sense how scared they were. How they all were. Listening to the whispers, the man fidgeted a bit in his robes, tucking a piece of greying hair behind his ear.

"I felt it," a long brown-haired girl whispered to a black man on her right.

"Me too," he replied.

"It felt so cold," another older woman contributed, shuddering.

"So sad and alone-"

"Better yet, how could someone transmit an emotion that… vividly?"

"I heard the whole planet felt it."

"A psychic link that strong!"

"Even in the North!"

"Who could've done it?"

"Maybe-"

The man, the ruler, of the bunch, stood to attention, a golden staff in his hand. He had heard enough jibber jabber. "Silence!" he roared, banging the staff, swirling with beautiful circle designs, twice. Soon, the leader was rewarded with the quiet he wanted.

Nodding his head in agreement with the peace, he sat back down. Folding his hands, the man began to speak. "I am sure you all at least have a vague idea of why I have called an assembly today. For surely you all sensed last night what I did."

The room shifted.

He continued on, despite the obvious discomfort. "I am speaking of the psychic disturbance that occurred at exactly twenty three hours yesterday."

"Was it really a disturbance, sir?" the black man who had been whispering before asked his lord. "Supposedly, all the Matrix records say we haven't had any in centuries." He gulped. "Not since you were a young man."

"Indeed, we haven't," the ancient grey-haired creature responded. "We have not- and certainly not from beyond our planet."

The group seemed to collectively stiffen at the statement, disbelieving.

"But sir," another voice popped up, this one the young brunette girl. "There is no way anything, much less… anyone that can get through, right? Or is the Time Lock not functioning as it properly should?" Her voice held an inkling of hope as if freedom from the nightmare she lived in everyday was somehow just beyond arm's reach.

"The Lock is still perfectly functioning. You are correct, my dear," the man carried on. "But our best of the best scientists have concluded that this signal comes from none other than planet Earth."

The room filled with whispers again, speaking of the failed and thwarted plans that had, indeed, led them to their death.

Their very imminent death.

But this leader would not let his race die. Not today, not tomorrow.

Not ever.

"I know it seems as if we have failed," the man began in low tones. "But through this link, we will find our way to victory."

The lord of his people straightened, his mind racing with the plan they had conjured up in the past few hours.

Their path to freedom.

"Of course, as you all know, a psychic signal that strong could only come from one of our kind. And, indeed, it was." The man looked into the eyes of the people around him. "It was even one of our most famous renegades." He stopped.

"For this link came only from the Doctor."

The crowd became even more agitated than previously, whispers again floating around.

"The Doctor!"

"He was the one who made us fall back into the Time Lock, wasn't he?"

"How could he have a presence here, when Earth is so far away?"

"Isn't he also fighting though?"

"The renegade!"

"What-"

"How-"

"Enough!" The leader roared, soon growing tired of the whispers around him. Things soon quieted down, and with a sigh, he was able to continue his explanation.

"As I have said, I know you all feel as if everything is ending, as if we have no options to prevent our demise, but in fact, we do."

The room seemingly became even quieter, until a young blonde-haired man spoke up. "What exactly do you mean, my lord?"

And the Lord President smiled; finally ready to explain his plan.

"The Doctor's psychic disturbance is just powerful and stable enough to bring us out of this hell," he began, flexing his fingers. "By simply remembering us as we are, and with his will, he could bring us all from the Time Lock into his reality. And from there, we could make our way back to Earth. It is already evident to us that he has done much the same with some of his current and former travelling companions," the man finished, obviously proud of himself.

"Excuse me, sir, but wouldn't such a link require physical object for us to go through? As with the white point star and…" the dirty blonde haired woman paused, obviously not wanting to say the name of the planet's most infamous child, her sharp features becoming tighter. "The Master?" she eventually choked out.

Weirdly, the President's look of glee mellowed a bit as he addressed the woman. "Yes, my lady, you are right. It usually would." The man then sat forward, leaning more to the people around him. "But somehow, with the Doctor, there is already a physical presence which none of us can name. So we all must be extra wary."

And with this warning, he rose to his climax, the party soon forgetting the danger in the ecstasy of their escape.

"I know some of you might think this is unethical," the leader of his people proclaimed, continuing on, shouting as if he wanted his entire planet to hear. "Some might say it is part our prime and we deserve to die." His face hardened into a grimace, his voice rising into yet another growl. "But we are Time Lords! We have observed the laws of time in this universe for millennia, and who is to stop us now?"

"My lord, no one!" the crowd responded.

"Will you let Gallifrey fall?" the Lord President roared.

"No!"

"And so it is settled," Rassilon stated, banging his staff once in the growing rise of shouting.

"Gallifrey rises!"

* * *

**So yeah, I brought the Time Lords back. Because they really are some of my favourite characters to explore, and it kind of sucks how little they have a presence in the new series.**

**Sorry for the longer update time than planned, I had to go to (yet another) camp, so I was unable to upload anything, but I do already have about two and a half chapters of this already written out so I just have to type them up and add them here. Thank you for your patience and to everyone who has helped to inspire me through reviews and favourites and follows- I love you guys so much. **


	10. Chapter 10

Romana's patience was being severely tested.

"I request to see prison two-four-omega-kamma-six-one," she all but groaned into the voice recognition box in front of her. She even flashed a card up in front of the visual monitor for backup. Still, there was no response. Just as there hadn't been for twenty minutes.

"My name is Romanadvoratrelundar, former Lady President of Gallifrey, and I order you to open this door or so help me I will-" The woman raised her voice, hoping something would work-

"Voice authorisation recognised," the pathetic machine beeped back. "Welcome, Lady Romana."

"Finally. Damn thing, should have replaced you years back," the Time Lady muttered as she walked down the corridor to the person she had come to see.

The woman soon came to a stop in front of the prison cell that held this so-desirable prisoner. She resisted the urge to grimace as she saw the blonde-haired man crouching down on the hard cement floor, a weathered, black hoodie draping over his pale, almost skin-and-bones body. He was eating something ravenously- a piece of meat, maybe- but as soon as she halted in front of his cage the man glanced up at her and stood up, grinning wildly. Insane. Like a wild animal. That was the only way to describe him. Insane.

"Hello, Romana," the prisoner remarked, smirking. "How are you today?"

"Fine-" she replied, breathing in a bit as she prepared what to say next. Cause she was always hesitant to say it. Even in front of Rassilon and the High Council she could not say it. "Master." the Time Lady finally choked out, the name leaving a sour taste in her mouth.

"Very good." the Master said in a patronising tone. "Except we both know you aren't quite 'fine', Romana. Was it the voice recognition or the High Council meeting that scarred you the most?" he cocked his head to the side, shrugging, not waiting for an answer. "Guess it's more the Council- Rassilon always was a scary bloke, even to a mighty former Lady President. 'Former', being the objective word there," the Time Lord went on, chuckling maniacally.

Romana had half a mind to punch him in the gut if only he wasn't behind a force field and bars. Instead, she tried to formulate an insulting retort, but the man began to speak before she could.

"Except you're not looking to chat, are you?" the Master had stood up now, looking her square in the eye. "You want something from me."

"Yes," the woman responded coldly. "I-"

"Ah ah!" the Time Lord scolded, putting a hand to his lips. Smiling that insane grin, he continued coolly. "I'll listen to your terms, Romana- if you listen to mine." He looked at her, now waiting for an answer.

"Alright," the woman grumbled. Besides, he was a prisoner in one of Gallifrey's top penitentiaries. What exactly could he do?

"Tell me everything that happened at the High Council," he whispered as soon as she agreed. "Everything." he reiterated.

Sighing, the Time Lady went over to a chair lying abandoned in the prison hallway, bringing it over in front of the cell, ready to tell her story.

"Lady Romana," the Master commented as she sat down. He clucked his tongue. "Who would've thought a former Lady President would stoop as low to a disgraced renegade such as me? Oh your House would be so humiliated. If they were alive." he mused.

The woman gritted her teeth, trying to reign in her emotions, when all she really wanted to do was dispose of his lifeless body. "Do you want to hear what happened or not?" she growled in response.

The insane Time Lord grinned again, that disturbing little grin she had come to hate so much. "Begin," he crooned.

Romana shuddered at his voice, slowly beginning to tell her tale. "Rassilon called us in to talk about the psychic disturbance last night."

"So it was a disturbance," the man mused. "Haven't had any of those since Rassilon's days, have they?" Seeing the annoyed grimace on the woman's face at his interruption, he sighed. "Continue on."

The woman glared back at him. "He went on to say that they'd determined the link was from Earth-" she head the man give a sharp intake of breath- "And how he believes the connection can once again help Gallifrey escape the Time Lock."

The Master looked deep in thought, glancing at the Time Lady. "But how?" he muttered, obviously confused. "How can they have a link on Earth?"

Romana paused. Because she knew the name she was about to say, the name that was supposed to lead salvation for the whole of the planet, that beautiful, sweet, and cursed name, could either make this man turn away from her cause or to it. "The Council believes the link is the Doctor's." she finally managed to blurt.

The man whipped around, focusing on her every feature. "The Doctor?" he asked coolly.

"Yes," she meekly replied.

The Time Lord stayed silent for a while, contemplating this news. Even when he did begin to speak again, it wasn't to Romana. Chuckling to himself, the Master gave a half-hearted grin. "Of course it's him. Of course he survived. He always does." He stopped, the grin slowly going away. "He must feel so proud of himself. How much better than all of us he is." Then the smile returned again, albeit creepier. "But I know who he really is. I know his hearts."

"And that's where I need your help," the woman jutted in.

The insane man looked back at her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," the Time Lady exhaled, scooting closer to the Master in her chair. "You know him better than I do. And if there's one person who can convince the Doctor to sever the link, it's you."

"Sever the link?" the Time Lord exclaimed. "But why? Why would you want to convince him of that? This could give us a chance to live, Romana! We wouldn't have to die!"

"But _he _would!" Romana yelled, exasperated. Seeing the dumbfounded look on the other man's face, she shook her head. "Did you really think the whole consciousness, the whole planet of Gallifrey, could simply slip through the Doctor's mind? You think breaking through a Time Lock, bringing the whole War and all of its nightmares through someone's _brain_ could leave them still standing?" The woman was shouting now, no doubt disturbing the other inmates, but she didn't care. Swallowing her rage, she calmed down a bit, her voice however becoming steely cold in the face of the man. "Let me tell you, no one on Earth, least so the Doctor, will survive if this plan goes through."

The Master stayed silent yet again, all the while studying Romana's face. At last, he clipped, "The Doctor and humanity are easily expendable."

"_EASILY EXPENDABLE_?" the woman screamed, no longer holding in her anger. "You and I both know that is not the case, Koschei!"

"Don't you _dare_ call me by that name!" the Time Lord roared back, infuriated. "You have _never_ known me by that name!"

"No, I haven't," Romana snapped. "But _the Doctor_ has."

And suddenly all sound was nothing, only the tension and short, hot breaths of both Gallifreyans breaking the silence. Finally, the Master spoke up between them. "Those days are long gone, Romana." he said curtly.

"But they don't have to be forgotten," the Time Lady whispered in reply.

When there was no answer from the man, she just kept talking. She was tired of the silence. "You know, I would've asked Susan to do this. Another member of his House, maybe. Leela, even." Her breath caught in her mouth, her tongue not wanting to murmur her native Gallifreyan in the grief of her lost friends. "But they are gone. You are the closest thing he has to family now." Still hearing no response, the woman continued on anyway. "If you won't help to save him- because really, haven't we lived long enough?- then do it for revenge," she stated. "This is Rassilon's greatest triumph- his way of escaping fate and executing the Final Sanction. If you defeat him, you can finally get your justice, instead of sitting in this cell, using up all your regenerations again and again for endless eternity. Or worse." Romana sighed, pushing a lock of blonde hair behind her ear and starting to pick up her chair and walk away, considering her plan to recruit the Master to her cause failed. She turned back around to the man. "But just remember that you and the Doctor were friends once. And maybe, you should help him."

The Time Lady was walking away and had almost reached the door when she heard the man clear his throat. The woman rushed back, hoping against hope that he had relented.

And staring into the face of this insane criminal, Romana knew she had won.

"I'll help you. Fine," the Master replied, grudgingly. "But if there is a chance to kill Rassilon, let it be my duty and my duty alone."

"Deal," she agreed.

As they shook hands, Romana grinned besides herself.

Maybe things would work out after all.

* * *

**Oh god guys. I'm sorry it took so long to get this up. I even had it pre-written and everything. Consider me the worst updater ever, sorry!**

**So yes, a quick little scene with the Master and Romana, cause hey, they're my two favourite Gallifreyans and they have a very complicated chemistry. And who doesn't like complicated chemistry?**

**Well I have some other chapter installations to this that are already pre-written too, so I'll try to get those up as quickly as possible. But a word of warning- school is starting for me in about a week and a half (YIKES) so when it starts, I may not have a lot of updates regularly on this story. Sorry you all. **

**Anyways, as always, I hope you enjoyed this. Please take a minute and review, it only takes a few minutes and makes me extremely happy and inspires me to write. Thank you for all your favourites and reviews and follows so far, they make my day! **

**Alright, I love you guys. Thanks for reading, and I will try to update this as soon as possible. Thank you again.**


	11. Chapter 11

Clara was nearing her wits' end. How long had she been searching? Minutes, hours, days? All she knew was that time was very wibbly wobbly on the TARDIS, and she was doggone tired.

But it was more than tiredness that was seeping through her- real fear was slowly consuming her too. Clara was used to fear, of course. Running away from aliens day by day you were accustomed to adrenaline and life-threatening scenarios. This was different, however.

Because the Doctor was in danger.

Or so she thought. She couldn't be sure, because really, he was just… missing.

The day started off as regularly as it could, being a time traveller. Clara had gone to the console room, ready to start yet another wonderful journey with that maddening and amazing Time Lord. But she had waited and waited, and no one had come. So now she had resorted to running around the numerous corridors of the TARDIS, shouting for the Doctor.

It was scooting around such a corridor that the young woman saw an ajar door and the sound of= was that coughing she heard? It didn't matter though, because she could hear the sound of mumbling inside. The Doctor's voice!

Breathing a sigh of relief, Clara opened the door, not quite expecting the scene that graced before her.

The alien was tangled in the sheets of a bed, in only his waistcoat and trousers, the purple coat and bowtie he usually wore so lovingly unceremoniously strung on the floor in a heap.

As she approached the Time Lord, the situation seemed to worsen quickly. His hands were gripped tightly in fists, around the blanket that half-covered his shaking body. His features cloaked in sweat, Clara heard him mutter words in a language that she could not understand in the least bit, and yet made her heart sink and tears rush to her eyes. Somehow, this just didn't seem like a happenstance nightmare.

"Doctor, please. Are you alright? Answer me," the young woman whispered, crouching down a bit in order to get more to her friend's level. She moved her hand up to check his forehead for any signs of a fever, but a weak warning of his voice stopped her. "Don't, Clara," the Time Lord mumbled, his impossibly old, green eyes resting on hers. "My Clara," he said again, giving a soft chuckle that quickly turned into a harsh wheezing.

"Why not?" her statement came out a bit more demanding than she had wanted it to be, but the tone of concern was there all the same. "Doctor, I have to help you. You're obviously _not well_." She emphasised these last two words as if they would automatically lead to her friend's recovery, if only he just realised the state he was in.

The Doctor squirmed a bit as to look Clara more firmly in the eyes, but the effort was clearly too painful for him and he slipped back into the mass of pillows and sheets. "Time Lords are touch telepathic, at least in the way of contact with humans," he explained to the ceiling. The man cleared his throat. "I'm obviously… physically compromised…" He struggled for a word. "So my mental shields are down. One touch from you to my body could very possibly generate a feeling similar to electrocution, with some psychic properties thrown in," the alien guiltily explained, breaking into yet another round of coughing fits.

The young woman looked at him, almost glaring. "Great, yet another alien-y thing you've never warned me about," she huffed. After crossing her arms to make her indignant manner more of a point, she let her concern show again. "Okay, I can't touch you, but I still want to help you Doctor. Tell me- how can I?"

"I don't know," the Time Lord admitted, doing his best to simulate a shrug. "The pollen is-" Cough. "Unbeatable, until-" Yet another peppering of sniffles. "The psychic episode is over. Just got to hang on for the ride," the man finished before he started coughing again.

"Psychic episode?" Clara exclaimed. "What do you mean?"

"Well, hopefully, I pull you and you alone into a dream state with only about a handful of deadly dangers. Or, it could spread further to other people I've become acquainted with and I could try to kill you all." The Doctor stopped, clearly not noticing the look of horror on his companion's face at this statement. Grimacing, he couldn't help but let out a gasp of pain as it felt the blood inside his very body flare up inside of him. "Ah- and I think it might be starting right now."

"Doctor?" his companion asked, obviously confused and worried. "What's happening?"

The man tried to reply, but suddenly the burning sensation in his veins gave way to a jolt of freezing cold that overtook his body, making him feel like an icicle. "Cold," the alien was barely able to mutter as she clutched blanket before him even tighter.

"Please, tell me what's going on," Clara pleaded.

The Time Lord was slipping in and out of consciousness now, and it took all of his might to answer her. "Clara… my Impossible Girl… if you have ever trusted me, run. Just run," the stuttered, holding onto the bed sheets as if they were his anchor to the world of the living.

"I'm not leaving you," the brunette snapped back, her eyes filling with tears. "I'm never ever leaving you, Doctor. Not now, not ever."

"Never say never ever," the man shot back, a sad smile playing at his lips, before his expression turned back to one of more seriousness. "Please. Run and don't look back. You know, one day I said I'd get back. Yes, one day…" he trailed off, his eyes closing-

"Doctor, stay with me! C'mon!" Clara cried, clutching onto the sheets of the bed almost as much as he was. "Stay with me!"

"Stay? I'd have to get a house, pay the mortgage, I don't do domestic," the Doctor murmured, clearly in a state of delirium, reliving old memories. Then suddenly out of the blue, he shot up out of the covers and put his hand as close to Clara as eh could without touching it, his eyes fluttering open. "My Clara. Please, run. No one can escape me in my dreams. I'm the Predator, the Destroyer of Worlds." His pleading voice soon dropped and his face turned into a pained expression again. They're all me. Don't you understand? You have to run." And then he collapsed back into the sheets, his eyes yet again coming to close.

"Doctor, you are _none_ of that," the young woman whispered, stroking the blanket near his outstretched hand with all the comfort she could muster. "Don't ever tell yourself you're that. Because you aren't any of those things." Damn, it was draining her to just keep from sobbing now. What was going _on_?

"Oh, Clara. Clara Oswald. I am all of it," the Time Lord replied, shaking even more violently than before. He could almost feel death upon him, and surely it would be much better than living in such pain, the aching of his hearts that already was always threatening to consume him. The Dream Lord, the darkness inside of him, was creeping out, and he could _feel_ it.

"Who's the Dream Lord? Please, what's happening?" The man could hear his companion say faintly as he slowly slipped into sleep. He must have spoken out loud. Huh. He didn't remember that. Maybe he was finally becoming senile. After all, a Time Lord lives too long…"

"Help me find my way back," Clara heard the Doctor whisper. "Help me before it's too late."

And all she could do to help him was tug harder on the sheets and cry.

Then the man's eyes rolled back into his head, and the room spun and turned white, and she was alone, all alone. She didn't even know what to do…

* * *

"Clara! Clara? Are you in there?" a knocking on the door made Clara Oswald shoot up in bed, sweat caking her forehead. It was just a dream after all, nothing was going on at the moment- that horrible hour had passed long ago.

So why was she still shaking?

Trying to clear her head of the nightmare she had just had, the brunette tried to answer back the man rapping his knuckles on the outside, that guy being no other than Rory Williams. The young husband truly had a heart of gold, and she knew the longer she waited responding the longer he would unnecessarily worry about her. "I'm here, Rory!" the woman shouted, throwing the door open to reveal the sandy-haired man waiting, tapping his foot nervously. "Sorry, I just woke up from a nap," she explained, leaning against the doorframe.

"No problem," Rory said back quickly. "Just wanted to let you know that we're gathering in the console room in a few minutes." He waved a bit to her. "See you there."

"Bye!" she called back after him.

Moments later, she was down by the console, having quickly tugged on a cute little yellow dress. The sight before her was quite maddening, what with so many other people in the room, all bickering.

"The Doctor taught me a few basic things, but I don't know how to fly it to a destination properly," Clara overheard Amy whisper to Sarah Jane.

"Yeah, you'd think travelling with him for so long, I'd know how to operate a TARDIS," the woman muttered back. "But it just seems that I hardly know anything."

Listening to the murmurs around the area, it was clear they were all discussing how to fly the time machine. Anxiously stepping from foot to foot at the top of the stairs that led to the console, the brunette sighed and spoke up through the crows. "I can help," she called out through the crowd.

Soon, with all the assembly in place, the companions had painstakingly come together to pick through their combined knowledge of flying the TARDIS, Clara specifically contributing into figuring out the puzzle.

She was just glad nobody asked why she knew so much about everything. Because remembering anything related to _Trenzalore_ made her brain want to burst.

Everybody was stationed around the console now, in their places on the hexagonal control panel. Mickey and Martha were off to the side on the other part of the panel running in a semi-circle on the rim of the room, ready to go.

And Rose pulled back a lever and the time machine shot into the vortex.

Donna working the Helmic Regulator, Amy spinning he circles to activate the TARDIS' shielding, Clara typing in coordinates and doing her best to keep them on track- they were all seemingly fast-working cogs in one big clock. Nobody could retain their hoots of laughter and joy.

For they were flying this thing!

After a few jostles and jolts- the time machine really wasn't keen on where they were trying to go- Clara announced that she had found coordinates that she was pretty sure they could all properly land on; she just had to run some diagnostic tests, so don't worry and continue on with your work, you're doing just fine. Brilliant, even.

It was in doing one of these tests that Captain Jack Harkness touched her shoulder gently. Beyond the initial shock, the young woman was glad to hear him speak to her in a comforting voice.

"Thanks for helping us fly this girl, Clara," the American thanked. "Without you, we wouldn't be able to do this."

"Just doing my job," the brunette chuckled, fully expecting the man to chuckle a bit and then go back to his job making sure the reality boosters were online. But he didn't leave, instead scanning her as if she was an enigma he couldn't place.

She'd had quite enough of that with the Doctor, to be honest. So the girl turned back to tell him off, but Jack started first. "So where did you learn to operate the TARDIS?" the guy asked.

Clara answered back, not thinking in the slightest. "I used to repair TT capsules back on Gallifrey," she quipped, before realising the error of her ways and slamming her hands over her mouth. She hadn't wanted to talk about any of her echoes, she didn't want anybody to know, and now look at her just blurting out information about them to almost a complete stranger.

The man looked at her in shock. His jaw was slack open like a fish. Finally, he spoke. "You're not a-"

"No, I'm not a Time Lady," the girl replied. Seeing the confusion on Jack's face just increase, she sighed, supposing she better offer a better explanation. "It's a complicated story involving graveyard planets and timelines and weird cloth men in Victorian garb," Clara elaborated.

"Love to hear it sometime," Jack answered back, tongue between his teeth.

A soft grin appeared on her face as she responded, "If we get this girl to where we need to go, maybe I will."

And with that said, she warned the others she was going to pull down the landing gear. Everybody hunkered down, ready for the ride.

What a ride it was, right off the bat. The TARDIS shuddered and quaked with more intensity than any of the companions had ever felt before. Desperately trying to keep their hands on the controls to perform their part, everyone found that they were starting to fall to the floor.

Everyone screamed as, through another tremor of this terror ride, the time machine seemed to flip over and finally send the group down to the ground, and then coming to an abrupt stop. The lights around the console room, and the circling gears above them had halted too. Wherever they were, they had reached their destination.

Slowly regaining her bearings, out of the crowd on the floor Rose Tyler was the first to stand up. Cautiously sitting herself up and then tiptoeing through the passed-out bodies, she thought she might as well look outside to see where they were.

The blonde woman walked down the ramp corridor and put her hand on the door to push it open.

What she saw had to be impossible.

"There's no way," Rose whispered, looking at the scene before her.

There was just no way…

* * *

**Ahaha, yay cliffhangers. Ahem, please forgive me.**

**But yes, a big chapter just two days from last update? Why don't I always write like this?**

**Well, anyway, I must be off, so I can't write a big author's note like always. I have musical rehearsals, and, on top of that, a thing to do for GISHWHES, so whoop.**

**Thanks for reading lovelies, be sure to review (please), and favourite and follow- they really inspire me to work. So you don't have to stay on this cliffhanger too much.**

**Alright, thanks guys. I love you. Adios! **


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